What's the good word folks?! Hai! Karate returns with a new flick, one that we promised a little while ago - Toshiro Mifune getting his ninja on in Yagyu Secret Scrolls Part 2! Directed by Hiroshi Inagaki, the film also stars Koji Tsuruta, Yoshiko Kuga, Mariko Okada and Jotaro Togami. Without further delay, let's get down to dissecting this sequel from Toho Studios.
When the first film ended, it ended with Tasaburo(Mifune) and
Princess Yu(Kuga) somehow extricating themselves out of a raging
river after being chased there by Yagyu forces. In their possession?
Two of the three Martial Chronicles, secrets that could destroy
the Yagyu family and rattle Japan. Yagyu Secret Scrolls Part 2
begins a short while after these events, and opens with the
remaining Yagyu members trying to find Tasaburo and the rest of
his clan - as well as the scrolls. Meanwhile, Tasaburo and
Princess Yu are living a tranquil life in the woods. Both
have made it a point to give up the shinobi life and be with
each other happily. But of course, THAT can't happen no
matter how many embraces they both share. Why? Because not
only are the Yagyu nearby, Senshiro(Tsuruta) is hovering
around still on mission to get the scrolls...as well as
another set of ninja.
Added to the mix is the son of the Yagyus who left home
not wanting to be part of their deception and tyranny,
and in the process of seeing his journey he stumbles
upon a street dancer and singer in a town in the country.
The dancer(Okada) reminds him of Rika, the maiden who
tended to him and who he fell in love with in the first
film - who he left behind. The singer invites Matajuro
to travel with them. It isn't until they get to a local
inn for the night where the singer reveals that he is a
powerful and villainous monk, Hogen Tondo and that he has
put Rika under a spell to control her. At that point,
Senshiro infiltrates the inn and confronts Tondo. Meanwhile,
Jubei Yagyu(Togami) is hot on everyone's trail. These
parties all find themselves on a collision course to gain
the ultimate power...
Yagyu Secret Scrolls: Two Secret Scrolls on a whole
does drop off a bit from the first one. One significant
improvement is the level of action. The fight scenes stick
out mainly because of the attention to detail. Ninjas being
ninjas, yo, Fire attacks? Got 'em. Magic monk wizardry?
Got it. Reversible gear? Man listen. This is an Inagaki
film, so you better believe that the sword duels will be
laid out in thrilling fashion. The major group battles can
be a little bit helter skelter, but it does work in the
overall scheme.
Toshiro Mifune as a ninja is still an odd sight. This is
the same cat that is a legend in film. Here, he seems to
waver between being relegated to the background and then
taking a commanding presence. It could have been due to
schedule(he was already signed to do another Inagaki film,
The Rickshaw Man later that year) or the script. Still, he
was prominent enough to be the draw for the picture. Mariko
Okada does steal the show in her role - her beauty and her
acting in the "damsel-in-distress" role sticks to the lane
but is imbued with a bit of stoicism. If you're looking for
something slightly different, I would recommend checking
out both films at once since they're fairly short. As an
aside: these films would lead to spinoffs being made in
both movies and television series, and would further cement
the ninjutsu craze in addition to the Shinobi No Mono series
that was being released around the same time. Yagyu Secret
Scrolls: Two Secret Scrolls is available on DVD.
RATING: 3 OF 5 DRAGON PUNCHES
